5 Things to Keep in Mind when Charming a Ravenclaw
by Principi Phantasia
Summary: Title says all. Know your way in charming these smart quirkies.


**1. First impressions **_**do**_** matter.**

"I've never seen anything like Ashwinders!" Marietta's voice floated out her train compartment.

"I know right!" her friend, Cho Chang responded enthusiastically. "Fascinating," she sighed dreamily.

Just then, fifth year prefect Ronald Weasley walked by and was very much attracted to what he saw through the compartment window. So, being himself, he decided to chime in to their conversation.

"Ashwinders? Bloody hell! That's like the best show on the Mugglenet, don't you think?"

Cho turned to face him with a puzzled look on her face.

It was Marietta who spoke up, though. "What are you going on about? We were discussing about the amazing qualities of theAshwinder, a_ magical serpent_."

"Oh," Ron felt himself go red in the face.

Marietta shook her head in amusement and Cho stifled a giggle.

"I… have to finish my rounds…" he mumbled incoherently, quickly walking away.

But before he could go so far, Marietta called out to him, "You've got your badge upside down, by the way!"

That exclamation was followed by the sound of laughter from their compartment.

oOo

Ron bumped into her on his way to the carriages that would take them up to the school.

"Oh, hey," he smiled. "You might not remember me, but we met earlier on the train."

Cho looked up and smiled, "Of course I remember you! You're that guy who thought Ashwinders was a TV show, weren't you? I see you've got your badge set straight now," she pointed out with an amused look.

Once again Ron turned bright red, but decided to laugh it off – nervously, of course.

"I – I'm Ron," he stammered. "And you are?"

"She's Cho Chang, who doesn't know her?" a familiar drawl was heard, and both Ron and Cho turned to see none other than Draco Malfoy walking their way.

Cho blushed at his words.

"Draco Malfoy," he winked and extended his hand to her.

She took his hand and said shyly, "It's nice to meet you."

* * *

**2. Deliberated use of words.**

Fred and George were sitting by their youngest brother at lunch, and decided to tease him – as usual.

"Hey, Ron," Fred called. "Would you rather look like a human or a troll?" He nudged George and both of them snickered.

Ron looked perplexed for a moment before replying, "A human, of course!"

Fred and George guffawed with laughter. "If you _look like_ a human…" George started.

"It means you aren't one!" Fred finished. "Our brother is a troll!" That brought on another round of laughter from the both of them.

Ron merely pursed his lips, annoyed.

oOo

That afternoon, Ron purposefully strode into the library. Now that was an unusual sight. But alas, he wasn't there to study; he was there to look for a certain Ravenclaw.

"Hi Cho!" he greeted, approaching her table.

Cho looked up from the book she was reading and greeted him back, "Hi Ron."

"You know what? You look like a troll," he declared.

Cho looked mildly offended.

"'Cause you're human! If I said you looked human, you'd be a troll! Get it?" he forced out a laugh.

Cho just stared at him as if he'd lost it.

At that moment, a certain blonde boy strolled out casually from behind the shelves, holding an open book. He walked to her and snapped the book shut before leaning in and saying, "Well, Cho, I'd say you look like an angel," he paused and straightened up. "But I can't be one hundred percent sure that you aren't one," he winked at her.

Cho blushed and let out a small giggle, "Draco…"

* * *

**3. Don't offend them in the slightest**. They might not explode, but they sure as hell won't be charmed.

"Wow, I can't believe it!" Ron exclaimed. "I got an O for my DADA OWL!" Ron was smiling so widely it looked like his cheeks might hurt. "I can't believe I even beat you, Cho! It's a miracle!"

Cho looked hurt at this.

"Well… it's not my best subject," she said quietly. "And I had a lot on my mind last year…"

Much to Ron's annoyance and dismay, Draco Malfoy always chose these moments of his failure to show up and play hero.

He put one hand soothingly behind Cho's back and said, "Hey… That's alright… What's past is past… How about I help you study for your upcoming NEWTs? I could use some studying myself…"

Cho's eyes lit up, "That would be great, Draco!"

"What did you get for your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL, if you don't mind me asking?" she inquired.

"Oh, I got an O," Draco waved it off as if it didn't matter. "I guess I was just lucky," he smiled at her.

"Don't be so modest, Draco. We all know you're smart," Cho smiled back kindly.

"What? It's okay if _he_ gets an O and it's not if _I_ do?" Ron exclaimed indignantly.

That rewarded him a glare from Cho and a sneer from Draco.

"Well at least he wasn't all snobbish about it! And he's actually smart! I bet you cheated off of someone!"

Cho wasn't usually sharp-tongued; but you know what they say about quiet people, when they speak up, they make a point. And those points aren't guaranteed to not be hurtful. Ravenclaws _are_ blunt.

"The OWLs were cheat-proof!" Ron protested, incredulous. But no one was paying attention to him. Cho and Draco had walked away; Cho chatting animatedly about something – in her typical ladylike manner, of course – and Draco nodding and smiling at her words.

* * *

**4. Accept them just the way they are**, quirkiness and all.

Ron was walking down the hallway when he came across Cho, looking half flustered and half deep in concentration, fumbling with the pages of her journal.

"Cho?" he asked, curious and concerned.

"Oh, hi," she greeted him carelessly.

"Is something wrong?" he queried.

"Err… not really, no," she replied, still not looking at him.

"Then what's with the look on your face?" he prompted.

Cho sighed and finally looked up at him, "See, Ron, now you've made me lose count!"

"Lose count of what?" he shook his head.

"I was trying to get to the _exact middle_ of my journal," she explained.

"Whatever for?" he asked again, more confused than ever.

"I want to divide the book in two, one part for extra notes and the other for my personal agenda."

"Well you don't have to be so manic about it!" he exclaimed. "Just split it into two parts," he took the book from her and flipped it open around the middle. "There! Easy! Do you have obsessive compulsive disorder, or something?" he looked at her weirdly.

"No, I don't!" she said indignantly. "Well even if I do, it's just my way of doing things! Do you have problem with that?" she asked, annoyed.

"It's weird, you know," Ron stated.

"If you think so, then you don't have to watch me do it," she stated calmly.

"Oh, let the girl do things the way she wants to, Weasley," Malfoy drawled, tugging the book from his hands and returning it to Cho.

Ron, not wanting to pick a fight with the Slytherin in front of the Ravenclaw, merely narrowed his eyes and said, "Bugger off, Malfoy," before leaving himself.

Vaguely, he could hear Malfoy saying to Cho, "Here, I'll count for you."

* * *

**5. There are always exceptions.**

Ron spotted Cho Chang standing by Hogwarts' main gates – alone. He approached her and leaned casually against the railings.

"So… you going to Hogsmeade today?" he asked tentatively.

"Uh huh," she nodded.

"I like what you've done with your hair," he said, flicking a strand.

"Ron! Don't do that, it took me ages to get it done!" Cho complained.

"Alright, alright," he backed off, palms forward.

"Are you going alone?" he went back to questioning her.

"Actually…" she began.

"Cho! Sorry I kept you waiting. Are you ready to leave?" Draco mussed her hair.

'_Of course! Who else if not Draco Malfoy,_' Ron thought resentfully, glaring at him. '_Hah! Now Cho will give him a mouthful for messing her hair!_'

But Cho merely turned to him and pouted playfully, "Draco! It took me ages to get my hair done!"

Draco grinned at her and said, "No worries, you still look beautiful with messy hair."

Cho's expression turned into something like horror, "It's messy?"

"No… no… you look fine," Draco reassured. "Perfect, actually."

Cho calmed down and patted her hair, still pouting at him.

"Let's go, then. See you around, Ronald," she smiled at him briefly.

Ron gaped after them, hardly believing what just happened.

oOo

With Ravenclaws, there are always exceptions. It's part of their inconsistent nature. They usually provide an excuse for those, but just so you know, they're not always truly justified.

But then again, these are things to keep in mind when _charming_ a Ravenclaw, not things to keep in mind when they're _already charmed _by you. Once you've managed to charm them, you can get away with anything. Well, _almost_ anything.

It's complicated, dealing with these quirky beings called Ravenclaws.


End file.
